We know the
story of the Epiphany and the Three Wise Men so well we could probably all tell
the entire story in our sleep. Magi from
eastern lands come to Jerusalem, in search of the newborn King of the Jews. They have been following a star, which eventually
leads them to Bethlehem, where they find the Christ-Child. They present Him with expensive gifts of
gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Meanwhile, a troubled and very paranoid King Herod plots what he will do
to the infant-king once the magi inform him of his whereabouts. Thankfully, the plan is foiled by a dream
that warns the travelers to go back by another route.
I'm sure
that there are many elements of this story that we can all pinpoint as being
particularly memorable for us. It could
be the long journey that they take from the East, or perhaps it is that
wondrous star that sticks in your mind.
Sometimes when I read this story, my thoughts turn to Herod and why he
was so troubled by a helpless baby. I am
also thankful for God's providence in protecting the wise men and the Holy
Family by leading them away from the king's wrath. I think for a lot of people, the focus is on
the gifts. There is plenty of awe and
admiration at the lavishness of the gifts that are brought, and also questions
as to the practicality of the such gifts for a newborn and the ever popular
question: what on earth is myrrh anyway?
If you really want to know the answer to that last question you can ask
me later or “Google” it on your own.
However, we would be remiss if our entire focus of the feast was only on
the gifts or on the star or on the little details of what the different
characters said and did. The real focus
is on how all men and women from every land and culture are called to give of
themselves and worship our Lord and King.
It doesn't matter where we come from or what we bring with us, so long
as we give ourselves over to God.
There was
short story written in 1905 that I hope will help illustrate this. The story is by O. Henry and is called “The
Gift of the Magi”. I'm sure most of you
have heard the story at one time or another, but allow me to summarize. The story is about James Young and his wife
Della. They live in a modestly furnished
apartment and are just barely able to get by on the $20 per week that Jim makes
at work. Despite their modest
surroundings, the young couple had two possessions which were of great value to
them. One is Jim's gold watch, which had
been passed down from his grandfather, to his father, and then to him. King Solomon himself with all his treasure
would have been envious of such a watch.
The second is Della's hair, beautiful brown locks that fall past her
knees. Any queens jewels would have paled
in comparison to such hair.
It is
Christmas Eve, and Della is very distraught.
After scrimping and saving for months she has only $1.87 with which to
by her Jim a Christmas present. After
staring at her reflection in a narrow mirror for a moment, she gets an idea and
runs out the door with her old coat and hat.
She goes down to a beauty shop, sells her hair for $20 and then searches
the shops for the perfect gift. She
finally finds a gold chain that looks to have made just for Jim and his gold
watch.
Worried of
what Jim will think of her haircut, Della hurries home and begins preparing
Jim's dinner. She waits for him at the
door to the apartment. He enters, and
then stares at her, but she can't read his expression. She worries he doesn't approve, and quickly
explains that she sold it to pay for his present and reassures him her hair
will grow back quickly. “You cut your
hair?” he asks, as if it were hard to comprehend. She keeps assuring him, saying she did it for
love of him and to please say he still loves her. He finally embraces her and tosses a small
package on the table. He tells her no
haircut would ever make him love her less, but asks her to opens the
package. Inside are a set of jeweled
combs that she had been admiring in a shop window. Her joy and surprise quickly turn to sadness
as she realizes what has happened. But
then she smiles as she knows her hair will grow back eventually. Then with excitement, she leaps up and gives
Jim his present. She begs him to take
out his watch so she can see how it looks with the chain. But he simply lays back on the couch and
smiles. “I sold the watch to get the
money to buy your combs”.
O. Henry
gives a short moral to the story. “The
magi, as you know, were wise men – wonderfully wise men – who brought gifts to
the Babe in the manger. They invented
the art of giving Christmas presents.
Being wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones, possibly bearing the
privilege of exchange in case of duplication.
And here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two
foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the
greatest treasures of their house. But
in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give
gifts these two were the wisest. Of all
who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are the wisest. They are the magi”.
The magi of
the Scriptures came from the east bringing gifts. The prophet Isaiah describes in the First
Reading how people from many different nations will come, also bringing
wondrous gifts. As O. Henry points out,
the gifts of the wise men were no doubt very wise, especially in comparison to
how Jim and Della foolishly gave away their only treasures. However, as I said before: we are missing the
point if we think it is only about the gifts.
Jim and Della nobly sacrificed their most prized possessions so that the
other could have the perfect Christmas gift.
The magi, as well as the visitors described by Isaiah, also sacrificed
many comforts as well as time and money and also faced many dangers in order to
make the long journey. They are not just
bringing gifts, but also worshiping God and the newborn Christ-child. Jim, Della, the magi, and all the visitors
sacrificed by giving of themselves in their special gifts. That is why they are all called “The magi”. That is why we are called to be magi as well.
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